A type of binding has a base element to be fastened to the surface of the snowboard, an instep element fastened to it that partially overlaps the top of a snowboard boot, and a heel element that supports the backside of the snowboard boot and is hinged to pivot on the base element. This type of binding is known from DE 44 35 113 C1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,897; EP 0 705 265 B1, JP 8-206275 A1). The instep element is a large-surface element, in that it covers the snowboard boot in its toe region and in its instep region. The instep element is fastened to the base element via straps that are adjustable in length, namely, a toe strap and an instep strap. In the closed position of the binding, the boot is therefore held between the base element, the instep element and the heel element. Adjustment of the binding to boots of different size is done by length adjustment of the strap securing the instep element and also via the adjustable position of the pivotable heel element, which is done by means of a length-adjustable strap fastened in the front region of the base element and enclosing the heel element on the rear.
A similar snowboard binding is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,123 A1, wherein fastening of the heel element is configured differently.
The aforementioned bindings are also generally referred to as a soft binding, because they are used together with relatively soft, flexible boots (so-called softboots) that offer the snowboarder relatively high flexibility of movement, both forward and to the side. The flexibility, i.e., the possible range of motion, can be adjusted by adjusting the instep and heel element, so that the snowboarder has, as desired, a large or small latitude of motion of the boot in the binding.
However, when the shinbone is bent laterally along with the shaft of the boot, a problem arises in that the instep element, which lies relatively firmly against the outer top of the boot in the region of the toes and instep, limits this lateral bending movement, especially when the instep element, as in the aforementioned prior art, is designed as a large-surface element and extensively covers the front region of the foot and the instep region of the boot and is adapted to its contour. Even if the instep element is made from a flexible material, lateral movement of the boot is severely hampered in this configuration, which is viewed as a shortcoming, since high flexibility of movement forward and to the side is desirable in precisely this type of binding.